Are you a caregiver struggling with looking for long-term care options in Singapore? You might want to read on and find out how home care can solve the many issues you face as a caregiver.

The current healthcare system in Singapore relies heavily on institutions such as hospitals. While they are effective in treating acute diseases such as tuberculosis, they might not be the best option for treating lifestyle diseases. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and stroke are known as lifestyle diseases. They are not contagious and thus, hospitals are not the most suitable option to treat lifestyle diseases like diabetes and stroke. Institutions are not dealing with our chronic health problems effectively and this is evidenced by the lack of long-term care options, bed crunch in the hospitals and expensive long-term care.

Here are some issues caregivers often face:

• Lack of awareness for long-term care options
  Many caregivers lack the awareness of long-term care options like home care. This is because the first point of contact for healthcare issues are institutions e.g. clinics or hospitals. Many caregivers are only aware of nursing homes and community hospitals as their options for long-term care. Not many are aware of home care as a viable option.
• Long waiting time and queues at hospitals
  When caregivers faced an emergency, for example, the dislodgement of a feeding tube or a fever, the first instinctive decision is to go to an A&E. However, going to an A&E is not the most viable option because you have to wait for hours before seeing the doctor and wait a few more hours for a hospital bed.

• Expensive long-term care costs
  Many institutions like nursing homes and community hospitals are expensive despite government subsidies. A nursing home will cost about $1200 – $3500 a month without the benefits of privacy and freedom because nursing homes are strictly routinised.

Solution: Home Care

Keeping our loved ones at home amongst family is the most preferable option for most families. However, with our current healthcare model, it is difficult. Caregivers will have to deal with the strain and stresses of shuttling their loved one for doctors’ appointments, learning how to care for a patient at home and the financial burden of long-term cost. Caregiver’s stress should not be taken lightly as it affects all aspects of an individual’s life. You can check out our article on how to cope with caregiver burnout.

The solution to the issues caregivers faced is to engage in-home care services.